Monthly Archives: January 2015

kryota

Reaction of “Germany ’must invest more’, says France’s economic minister”

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Reaction of “Germany ’must invest more’, says France’s economic minister”

 

Summary

 

Mr. Macron who is France’s economic minister said that Germany had “urgent responsibility” to invest more in the Eurozone. Europe’s economy has been floundering in recent month. It indicated the Eurozone economic saw anaemic growth. European Central Bank should adopt “offensive measures” to prevent deflation in the Eurozone. According to this article, all members of EU must make efforts to reconstruct its economy.

 

Reaction

Recently, I often hear that Europe’s economy is not good. For example, in UK, their economic growth revised down. Probably, it is because lower government and business investment than first thought, and higher imports. In this article, it is regarded as problem that Germany invests little. I think that they doesn’t do, but can’t do like UK.

 Today almost countries face financial crisis. Although they can’t solve their own problem, this is not the time to worry about all Europe. I think, at first, they should manage their country.

 Import rate must be not very high because Germany’s GDP is higher than UK’s. So, I think Germany should solve the problem of employment like France. I can find the many articles of “country’s bad economic situation” as soon as I look up “economy”. That means almost countries are in same situation. So I think each country must stand up to by its own power.

hirotaka

Reaction to china factory activity

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Summary
China’s manufacturing activity shrank for the first time in seven months in December.
The final HSBC/Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index was down from a final reading of 50 in November. The most recent data showed the slowing Chinese economy. New factory orders shrank for the first time since April. In November, China’s central bank cut interest rates to 2.75% for the first time since 2012 in an attempt to revive the economy.

Opinion
China is the second of the greatest economic powers in the world and its influence becomes lager than before. However, Chinese economy has some problems such as slowing economy as this news imply. Today I would like to explain about another problem; rising the cost of labor and prices of commodities and land.
China has been called “factory of the world”. There are a few reasons. First is a big amount of labor, second is a large land, third is a cheap labor and cheap the prices, but the final factors have been changing from a little while ago because of rapid economic growth. Prices of commodities and land have been increasing year by year, these prices grow by several times in a one or two decades. The rising these prices has an influence to the cost of labor and the cost has been also rising quickly. In the not far future, the cost will be increased more and an advantage of the cheap cost will be lost.
For this reason, the name “factory of the world” will move to other developing countries in the future.

ikumi, Uncategorized

Reaction of “Where the jobs are and who’s being hired?”

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Recently, many positions employers added and the job grows in U.S since 1999. 2014 was the nation’s best year for job growth. In particular, Business, professional services and healthcare jobs created the most staffing positions. Last year was a good year for blacks and Latinos looking for work, particularly more young adults. However, the news is not all good, because blacks and Latinos still have far higher unemployment rates than whites.

I think that raising an employment rate is very good, because economy of all over the world will recovery little by little. However, it is a problem that blacks and Latino’s employment rates are still lower than whites. So there are some racial discriminations in the U.S. I believe that we must lose much discriminations and all people should be treated equally as soon as possible.

Uncategorized, yuki

My reaction about “Wealthiest American say the poor have it easy”

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Summary

Wealthiest Americans think that the poor have it pretty easy. The rich people think it strange that poor people get benefits from government without doing anything. On the other hand poor people believe that the poor need twice as much help as the rich.Most wealthiest say that government can`t afford to do for the poor while most those struggling say the government should do more for the poor.About immigration, both most the rich and the poor have positive image that immigration strengthen the country. But the margin of the rich is bigger than that of the poor, so many poor people think immigration have a negative impact.

 

My opinion

In Japan I think there are smaller gap between the rich and the poor than other countries. So, I don`t think about something on the rich side or the poor side. But in sure both of opinions are correct. The rich people think it is unfair that the poor can more help from the government, while the poor think they want to get job but they can`t ,so they need more money for looking for job. Same as immigrant, the rich only think the country`s economy grow up by taking more immigration, but the poor think their chance to get job decrease by taking more immigration. That is cause of the different of margin between the rich and the poor.

naoki, Uncategorized

my reaction about china’s car sale

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Summary
In 2014, car sales growth in China reduced by almost half as slowing economic expansion. China is the world’s biggest car market. China’s car sales in 2014 rose 6.9%, compared with growth of 13.9% in 2013. World’s carmakers, such as Volkswagen, TOYOTA, have been fight with slowing car sales. But China’s car market is still much bigger than the US, in spite of slowing its car sales. In 2014, cars were sold to more than 23 million in China, compared with 16.5% million in the US.

My opinion
I will talk about slowing china’s car sales growth in 2014. The first, I suppose the reason is cars have become popular compared with olden days and many people already have own cars. So people don’t buy new cars. I traveled to Shanghai with my family in December in 2014. I saw too many cars in Shanghai. I surprised cars ran much more than in Tokyo. I often saw many cars of Volkswagen indeed. In the highway, cars were always crowded. So, I think car popularization is one of the reasons of slowing car sales. But, I suppose much more cars will be sold in China.

kosuke

FINAL AUDIO ESSAY

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I do agree to Ken Robinson’s idea on education. He insists that not only literacy but also creativity is so important in education. He says education system should put more emphasis on creativity.

 

I think that we have to cultivate ourselves. Education will help us understand future we can’t grasp, as Ken said. When we watch the news or read the newspaper, it is helpful to think of what is going on and of what we should do next. To acquire languages and mathematics could be very useful when we live a life. Education is important, however, it sometimes kills creativity. When students make mistakes, teachers tell them they are wrong and ask them to know the right answer. There is a problem. No children are pleased with being scolded by teachers. They keep from saying unique opinions, or even stop raising their hand. They become frightened to be wrong.

 

As for Japan, we hardly have discussion classes in education system. I’ve never taken discussion classes until I entered the university. In Japan, education is done in lecture style and Japanese students believe it is common. In America, they value communication. I lived in America when I was little. During the class, a teacher walks around the classroom and ask students of what they think. I was surprised at first because I wasn’t used to it. American teachers said to me, ‘’ I don’t ask you questions because I want to know the right answer. I ask you questions to think them together.’’ A lot of American students raise their hand because they want to say their opinion. Teachers listen to them seriously, never criticize them. I now think it is a better style. Education in Japan is for producing university professors, as Ken said.

 

I suggest Japanese teachers communicate more with students and help them say their ideas. Ken says creativity is a process of having original ideas. If we don’t have any opinions, we will never be able to cultivate creativity. Not only teachers but also our way of thinking toward education should be changed. I feel that Japanese think people who are willing to say their ideas look kind of selfish and that Japanese look someone who made a mistake as a shame. As Ken said, ‘’If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original.’’ To be wrong is OK. What is important is whether we could learn from our mistakes. That will connect with creativity, a gift of human imagination.

 

atsuko

My thought about education

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Every day I think this theme.
There is a person who I know has a great talent for music but can’t be interested in long winded lectures in the university. Therefore he is a far from honor student. But I think he is very smart and a warm hearted person. He is charming more than people who have no enthusiasm for anything and take credits moderately.
Intellect is mind. A person who has no mind can’t have real intellect. When he accomplishes things, he needs the balance of mind, brain and body. In this three items the most important thing is mind. If we lack mind, brain and body can’t work perfectly. Human try to know the structure of the object which he is interested in from the bottom of the heart. That’s the function of brain. Moreover he try to express in any form. I mean body has this role.
School education exists for raising obedient adults. People who were educated by such system can live peacefully when they lead ordinary lives. But they often don’t want to adventure. They dislike change. They escape from new world. Right from the beginning they don’t think they can change the world. Because they didn’t receive education by which they can have confidence in their original ability.
I had a piano lessons until I graduated from high school. When I was a student of a elementary school, I often received prizes at musical contests. I understood my teacher’s advice in the lessons. That was nearly intuition. But I didn’t know how to use this ability to study.
I attended a cram school to enter a private junior high school. Teachers of the cram school and my mother didn’t teach me how to do. No, I myself made a mistake. I should think more about my will. If I had had a strong will, I might have good results at entrance exam. But I couldn’t think so. I thought teachers and parents were absolute. That’s exactly experience children lose their gifts.
I agree with the speech very much. We need to think future education to develop children’s gifts. But I think what we can do is not only that. As I am so, I believe adults who received stereotype education can develop their original ability. To do it they need to find “the right “is not always right. Mind which doubt what many people say as the right makes us creative.

 

taichi

Final Audio Essay

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In the movie, Ken Robinson talks about what education should be. He argues that “creativity is an important as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” And he warned that our current education system won’t serve us for the future.

I basically agreed to his idea, that is, it’s important to make much of creativity in education. In his speech, he describes the current situation of not making much of creativity in education, and analyzes why it’s not. As the first analysis, he says “in the current education system, mistakes are the worst thing you can made.” Despite the fact that “if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” As the second analysis, he explains hierarchy of subjects, which is the same around the world. He says subjects such as arts, which is relevant to creativity, is positioned beneath of the hierarchy because it’s regarded less important to meet the needs of industrialism rather than mathematics, language and etc. Actually, I’m sad about such current education system. It’s because we are increasingly homogenized and can hardly cultivate the individuality.

However, I think that it’s difficult to run an education system, which lets children grow their creativity, in reality. It’s just because I can’t come up with a good idea to do so as Ken Robinson does not show any idea in his speech. At least, I am against the idea that we should introduce more and more subjects such as arts and dance to a school program. First reason for that is because I think arts are relevant to creativity, but I don’t think arts are the best, at least better, way to let children grow their creativity. Second reason is because the idea that education without cultivation of creativity won’t serve us in the future seems to me to be made by only looking at the future of developed countries. In my opinion, an education system, which makes much of subjects necessary at the point of whether to meet the needs of industrialism such as mathematics and language, will continue in developing countries. Rather, these subjects are necessary for children there to live because the educational standard there such as literacy rate is not as high as that of developed countries. Without looking at the difference of circumstances between developed countries and developing countries, the gap of the living standard, which is influenced by education very much, between them will be much wider in the future.

As a conclusion, Ken’s argument is interesting and fascinating me. Actually, I’m not satisfied with the current education system, in which creativity is hardly cultivated. However, I think we must be prudent when thinking about introduction of new education system to cultivate creativity at two points, that is, effects of new system and a gap between global north and south.

 

yhiroki

Audio essay about education

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What is the purpose of education? Nobody knows the correct answer and can find it, because there are as many answers as educators. I also have an answer, that is to make the base for innovation. Innovation is very important because it is the power that makes our future.

What is the base of innovation? I think innovation is composed of two sides, one is creativity and the other is knowledge. Both are important and we can’t make innovation with one side. Education should take balance between creativity and knowledge.

I think creativity is a kind of spices. Imagine the situation that you are cooking stakes. To make it delicious, you need to sprinkle salt and pepper on meat in harmony, don’t you? Same as it, you can make innovation by adding creativity on knowledge. However, creativity is not treated as equal as knowledge in modern education.

It is true that knowledge is very important because it is essential for innovation. I think innovation is not to make something from nothing but to find new combinations from many options. This option is knowledge. For example, smart-phone is one of the innovations but its idea is miniaturization of PC. In short, it isn’t able to make smart-phone without PC. PC is a invention in past , that is knowledge. Innovation named as ‘smart-phone’ was made from knowledge. As options are increased, its combination becomes various and diverse. Therefore, to have much knowledge makes many innovations.

However, we can’t make innovation only by knowledge, as we can’t cook steaks without pepper. We need to add creativity you have on it. Mr. Robinson says modern education kills creativity. I agreed his idea because I had such education. In school classes, we need to find correct answer. In short, we have to find one combination from many options. Even if you show your teacher another combination, you are scolded because it’s not correct combination. Education kills possibility of making innovation. That is ironic because what is needed in recent society is innovative person.

What is important is the balance between creativity and knowledge. Modern education attaches too much greater importance to give knowledge than train creativity. To give well-balanced education, ‘communication’ is an important element. To be concrete, I think schools have much more discussion or debating training because these training have many good points. In such class, you have to make your own opinion by using your creativity and your knowledge. And by listening to opinions of other people, you also can get new way of thinking and knowledge he has.

In conclusion, we must realize again the importance of training creativity. Innovation is interactive thing between creativity and knowledge, so it is nonsense to educate only one side. What modern education have to do is to combine two elements in harmony in its curriculum.

naoya, Uncategorized

Final test (Autum term)

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I agree what he said “The only way we’ll do it is by seeing our creative capacities for the richness they are and seeing our children for the hope that they are.”

 

He said that the present education system took children’s creativity away.

He considers that children who would like to continue to learn music and arts are decreasing because we think mathematics and languages are more useful than music and arts and it follows that it disturbs development of children’s creativity.

 

He said that academic cleverness is the most important during the period of rapid economic growth, but spiritual richness is needed these days and we should reconsider the meaning of learning music and arts.

 

I approve his opinion.

 

Mathematics and languages are dealt with as the most important learning.

When I was an elementary school student, we had a lot of music and arts classes and the school life was fun for me.

 

But when I was a high school student, we had mathematics and English classes every day, but we had a class of music or arts only once a week. And I feel I became less creative than before. Therefore I agree with him.

 

I think we should have more computer classes. Especially, I think programming is one of the most useful technologies. Most people learn programming in adulthood. If we start to learn programming in childhood, we can master it more easily.

 

It is said engineers are lacking in Japan. To develop our future life, we really need more engineers in Japan. If we start to learn programming at elementary school or junior high school, the number of engineers will increase.

 

I also think we should have more gym classes at high school and university.

Many people don’t have physical education classes at university. Health is one of the most important things in our life.

 

When I belonged to the track and field club at junior high school, I could easily to memorize English words and Kanji, though training was very hard and I was exhausted.

 

Exercise is good for our creativity as well as our health. I think exercise has a salutary effect on academic life, so physical education is very important.

 

I hope that Japanese education system will be changed in future. Children should have not only mathematics and languages but also music and arts. And it will help to develop and encourage children’s creativity.